Very steep slopes that require steps to navigate need beds that sit atop one another and must be maintained from the sides, while more moderate slopes can include pathways between shallower tiered beds.
The corn plants may not use up all the fertilizer applied to the row middles, so it's a cushy planting niche for heavy-feeding fall crops like collards and spinach. Cool-season Cover Crops Parts of the garden that won't be planted until late spring are...
Just keep picking and the others will surely follow! How to Ripen Squashes and Pumpkins Winter squashes and pumpkins naturally color up as they mature towards the end of the growing season.
A regular liquid feed will result in better quality fruits for longer 4. Continue watering a suitable organic liquid fertilizer on to hungry fruiting vegetables like tomatoes, peppers and eggplant.
Also try trap-cropping using a pest's favorite food to make your crops less appealing to them. That may sound like a solution, but the problem is it also wipes out the beneficial insects – your own private army – at the same time.
For the healthiest growth they need an open, sunny site and rich soil. Keep the soil moist. Mark out drills about half an inch (1cm) deep and six inches (15cm) apart. Additional rows of spring or summer cabbage should be set around the same distance apart,...
If you're patient, why not lay down plans for a country wine or two? Bamboo contributes a welcome rustle if you haven't got many trees or shrubs nearby to sway and shuffle in the breeze.
Asian radishes grow slower than little salad radishes, so they are best planted about eight weeks before your first frost date. There are many ways to enjoy the “little ginseng” of the vegetable world.
The exact length of time required to blanch your vegetables depends on the type of vegetable. There are, of course, many other ways to preserve some of the growing season's generosity (a kinder word than ‘glut', which sounds a little ungrateful!).
The best rutabagas are harvested from cool soil after autumn leaves start to fall. Spacing is important, too, because crowded rutabagas will grow huge tops with skinny roots. Then store them in plastic bags in the refrigerator, or packed in damp sand...
The seed heads are definitely ready once they have dried out and can be flaked off into a bag for cleaning and sorting. Seeds should be stored in paper envelopes labeled with the variety and date.
It's not uncommon on plums and related plants, and in the absence of the distinctive dead, sunken patch it's likely due to other less serious issues, such as stress or a wound. Make sure your tools are sharp and sturdy enough for the job; hand pruners...
Once all of your chilies are threaded on, tie off the line to make a loop. Cotton thread comes a close second. You can use your dried chilies as needed, or infuse whole fruits in sterilized bottles filled with olive oil to make chilli oil.
Balance and Speed Using a watering can? This technique ensures a really thorough watering that makes very efficient use of water. Allow plants to soak up the water they need to avoid wastage Use a Timer An automatic irrigation system, connected to a timer,...
The easiest way to grow second-crop spuds is in containers . If winters are severe or your soil is wet and heavy, then you're safer lifting all of the potatoes to pack them into boxes of coarse sand kept in a frost-free place.
This usually includes the odd-shaped ‘king' fruit at the center of the cluster. Early summer offers us a tempting taste of what's to come in the fruit garden. Selectively removing young fruits is called thinning.
Flowers will help to draw hoverflies and other greenhouse whitefly predators to your garden Other Greenhouse Whitefly Predators If the Alien -like approach of Encarsia is too much, consider one of the whitefly's many other natural enemies, including hoverflies...
Notes Because they are so adaptable, bedding begonias make excellent flowers to repeat in pockets throughout the landscape, which provides a sense of unity. When growing begonias in containers, use a rich potting soil that holds moisture well.
Notes Used in place of onions for concentrated flavor. Spacing Single Plants: 5" (15cm) each way (minimum) Rows: 3" (10cm) with 5" (15cm) row gap (minimum) Sow and Plant Set individual cloves in prepared ground in the fall.
On cool mornings, place a piece of cardboard beneath plants to catch beetles you knock to the ground. Floating row covers are the most dependable way to protect plants. You can also coat the fingertips of a yellow rubber glove with petroleum jelly to...
Troubleshooting Beware of sleepy bees when pruning or otherwise working with mature borage plants. Frost tolerant Seedlings will survive light frosts, but older plants are easily damaged.
Dig and move perennial onions every fall. Beneficial nematodes are the only effective treatment for this pest. Managing Outbreaks: Remove badly damaged plants, as the maggots can move from one plant to another.
Harvesting Dig roots in fall or early spring and dry outdoors, because they release an unpleasant smell as they dry. Companions Echinacea, Catnip, Agastache and Dill. Planting and Harvesting Calendar < Back to All Plants Pests which Affect Valerian Aphids...
Notes Lemon balm is very easy to grow. Lemon balm can be transplanted from early spring to early summer. Locate it where leaves can be conveniently picked, crushed and sniffed. Troubleshooting Control lemon balm's spread by cutting back flowering stems...
In less than full sun, tulip blossoms will twist toward the strongest directional light. Feeding Topdress with rich compost in spring, when new growth appears. Frost tolerant Excellent.
Notes Blue ageratum provides excellent contrast when combined with flowers with orange blossoms. In midsummer, drench plants with a liquid plant food to stimulate new growth. Planting and Harvesting Calendar < Back to All Plants Pests which Affect Ageratum...
Set out after the last frost has passed, when the soil is warm and settled. Store at room temperature. Spacing Single Plants: 1' 7" (50cm) each way (minimum) Rows: 1' 5" (45cm) with 1' 11" (60cm) row gap (minimum) Sow and Plant Start seedlings indoors...